The true value of conferences such as Tees Music Alliance’s On Point Conference is meeting the professionals that might not always seem within reach. With professionals from all over the country attending and taking part in the round table sessions, the conference offered us all the opportunity to connect with the people that work at organisations such as Help Musicians, Musician’s Union, PRS Foundation, and BAPAM – British Association for Performing Arts Medicine.
During the round table element of On Point Conference, I spoke to David at Help Musicians, who told me about the different initiatives Help Musicians offers. The organisation focuses on supporting artists and helping them develop their career, as well as improve their business skills. Help Musicians also offer funding for creative projects and support anyone who works in music through sister organisation Music Minds Matter. A great tip David gave on what to do when applying for funding is to always keep in mind that the person reading your application knows nothing about you, so make sure to include all that’s relevant.
One of the great organisations I first got introduced to at On Point, was BAPAM, I spoke to Dan about the organisation, their goals, services, and struggles. BAPAM offers free specialist, confidential medical advice, clinics for musicians at The Glasshouse ICM as well as free therapy sessions for musicians. The organisation also offers advice and resources on many different health-related topics for creative professionals, including tips on performance training during the winter. The charity aims to improve the health of our arts community and maintain its creative excellence, a focus I think is incredibly important these days.
At the same table sat Philip who is a musician and works for the Musician’s Union. I’ve never truly looked into their activities so it was wonderful speaking to an employee about the things they can do for the local industry. The organisation offers insurance for members, short term loans, benevolent funds, parental funds and contract advisory. Something Philip confirmed for me was that any written agreement counts as a contract, as long as the offer, consideration, acceptance, intent, and capacity has been noted down. Philip mentioned how also promoters and event organisers can benefit from insurance when hiring venues, and how sadly, when a festival goes into liquidation they indeed do not need to pay any fees owed to performers. My tip when you sign a contract with a festival or event organiser? Make sure there’s a person on the contract instead of a business.
Aside from the helpful tips and tricks the above professionals shared with me, most of all they inspired me to keep working in, and supporting, the music industry.
LLIVELY Music 